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Not all questions get straight answers.
This is my fault and choice, not your lack of skill.

I have been playing the bad guy in the routine good cop bad cop for far too long. Jundo and i kind of agreed on that years ago. And guess what, it puts me systematicaly in the unpopular pair of shoes.when I say that somebody has to pick up my stick, it is a way to say that i don't want to play that role anymore and yet, somebody else has to do it.

... and of great philosophers like Voltaire, Montaigne, Sartre, good food, a nice sounding language and probably the most beautiful women in the world.

Don't be too hard on yourself...

Gassho,

Daitetsu

I think this is quite possibly my favorite post of all time at Treeleaf - thank you Taigu and Daitetsu!

In thinking of Taigu's 'voice' I think a bit of a cross of Camus in "Myth of Sisyphus" and Saint Exupery in "Wind, Sand and Stars".... I am reminded specifically of St. Ex's description of his friend Mermoz, a lovable grouch and scoundrel...

I am going to give this a go. Whenever I have asked a question in a forum Taigu has often given me/us good and straightforward advice. I would rather have straightforward than sanguine personally. I also enjoy very much and have benefited greatly from Taigu's instructional sitting videos. In some of those his very real human experience is refreshing, knowing that he is dealing with some very real life frustrations just like all of us. I merely think that Jundo and Taigu have different personalities and different tones to their approach. Sometimes I get the impression that what some might find "shocking, unfriendly, or vulgar" is really an attempt to take us out of our complacency like an old Roshi trickster. For me, Zen isn't about nice, not nice or good cop, bad cop. It's about being beyond nice, not nice. I suppose we can all imagine ourselves in a placid Zen garden sipping tea. It's easy to pretend we are "above it all" in an idyllic setting. What happens when the temple catches fire? I rather think of some of Taigu's behavior and comments like a nice hot cup of unsweetened green tea. It's gritty, bitter, and earthy, and for, some takes some getting used to. But in the end, it's stimulating nonetheless. He, and Jundo, are not our friends, they are teachers. A good coach doesn't just sit there on the sidelines and say "great game". I have not seen Taigu do or say anything mean, nor post anything with some kind of malignant intention. There is... " nothing to add, nothing to take away."